South Sudan’s national security services arrested former Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater in the city of Rumbek on Thursday morning, officials and family members confirmed.
Dongrin, who was dismissed from his post in August 2025, was apprehended in a pre-dawn raid and immediately flown to the capital, Juba. While the specific charges against him remain unclear, the arrest follows a string of high-profile detentions in the country.
Paul Cabiet Ayang, the Information Minister for Lakes State, told Radio Tamazuj that National Security Service (NSS) operatives conducted the arrest at approximately 5:00 a.m.
“It is the central government in Juba that arrested him, not Rumbek,” Ayang said, noting that local authorities were not involved in the operation.
Malou Mayom, a relative of the former minister, told Radio Tamazuj that NSS personnel arrived in two pickup vehicles with a warrant for Dongrin’s arrest. He suggested the move might be linked to ongoing investigations involving other high-ranking officials, though the government has not issued a formal statement.
Dongrin was appointed to lead the Finance Ministry in July 2024, having previously served as a deputy commissioner at the National Revenue Authority. His tenure ended six months ago during a cabinet reshuffle by President Salva Kiir.
His detention occurs amid a wider crackdown on political and military figures. Earlier this week, authorities arrested Maj. Gen. Manasseh Machar Bol, a high-ranking security official formerly stationed at the Ministry of Petroleum.
Calls for Transparency
Civil society groups are urging the government to follow due process. Daniel Laat Kon, a coordinator for the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said reports of a crackdown on financial malpractice have circulated for days.
“As civil society, we call for a quick investigation so that these individuals are brought before a court of law,” Kon said. “It is only the law that should determine whether these accusations are true or not.”
The South Sudanese government has not yet commented on whether the recent arrests are part of a broader anti-corruption probe or related to internal political shifts.